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As a smartphone reviewer, I spend an obsessive amount of time testing, making phone calls, and taking way too many food photos with the latest handsets on the market, from ones with light-up back covers to ones that fold in half to ones that can fit in the tiniest of palms. Among all the options from Android makers like Samsung, Google, and OnePlus, I've developed a good sense of which ones are truly worth your hard-earned money. See below for the full list of my top picks, including for budget shoppers and power users.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best Android phone right now, with the company's top-of-the-line features and specifications including an S Pen stylus for precision inputs, a 200MP camera system, and the most durable display on any Galaxy phone yet. With the Ultra, Samsung has also matched Google's standard for software support, committing to at least seven years of operating system and security updates.

Samsung's latest Galaxy S24 line is the first to go all-in on AI, and the S24 Ultra, the most premium of the three, is the best Android phone today. The new Galaxy AI model embedded in the device brings a host of generative capabilities, including real-time phone call translations, the ability to circle an object on screen to perform an image-based Google search, AI-assisted photo editing and transcriptions, and even a Chat Assist feature for figuring out how to phrase a message in different tones.

The difference in display protection means the S24 Ultra is more glare-free than ever, which ZDNET reviewer Jason Hiner suggested: "makes its screen more enjoyable to use than the iPhone 15 Pro Max and other flagship phones." Reddit users seem to agree with Hiner, including one who said he believes "the anti-reflective glass really makes a difference."

Under the hood, the S24 Ultra includes an upgraded Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset for improved graphics and AI features, 12GB RAM (an increase from last year's 8GB), and 2,600 nits of brightness -- a big improvement over last year's 1,750. As for the new camera system, the big upgrade comes in the form of a 50MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. The results, as Hiner discovered, were sharper and less noisy images, and an overall camera system that can pull in more light than ever before.

If bang for your buck is what you're after, consider the Google Pixel 8a. There are really three key reasons why you should buy the latest Pixel over any other mid-range phone: For $499, you get a comfortable 6.1-inch OLED display that ramps up to a 120Hz refresh rate, a reliable 64MP camera system, and Google's catalog of AI features like Magic Editor, Audio Eraser, and Gemini, all backed by seven years of operating system updates.

Software is the name of the game with Google Pixel phones, and the extensive support provided for the 8a series, powered by a new Tensor G3 chip, should keep it feature-relevant for as long as until 2031. For reference, most phones in this price range, including last year's Pixel 7a, typically receive two to four years of software and security updates.

Of course, some limitations are expected from a phone in this price range, such as the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens and a slower wired charging rate (18W). However, from my hands-on time with the Pixel 8a, I found it just as capable of capturing various subjects and styles, and the presence of wireless charging makes up for the phone taking a few minutes longer to fully charge than flagship handsets.

The number of foldable phones on the market has never been higher, thanks to the collective effort of just about every manufacturer, including Google with its Pixel Fold, Motorola with its Razr lineup, and OnePlus with the OnePlus Open. While Samsung has held the reins of the best foldable honor for years, I'm giving the top spot right now to the OnePlus Open.

Unlike its competitors, the OnePlus Open strikes the best balance of weight-to-size ratio. When folded, the phone is as light as an iPhone, and when unfolded, it expands into a thin slate of visual goodness. OnePlus leverages the 7.8-inch display by offering some of the most intuitive multitasking features I've tested, headlined by "Open Canvas." With it, you can open up to three apps at once, and as you tap into each one, the other one or two will tuck itself to the side, ready to reappear when needed.

The triple camera setup, while presented in a casing that sticks out more than I'd prefer, captures spectacular photos and videos, with an emphasis on blue and orangish hues that cinematographers and photography buffs know and love. By nature of the foldable form factor, the Open is also capable of taking hands-free selfies and group photos.

OnePlus got the fundamentals down pat with the Open, too, including 65W fast charging capabilities (with a charger in the box) that blow past Samsung's Z Fold 5 and Google's Pixel Fold standards, a base configuration of 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, and a crease-less inner display. The cherry on top for me is its $1,699 price tag. One Amazon customer even says the Open was a surprisingly smooth entryway into Android, "after going with just iPhones since the iPhone 7."

Nothing is easily the hottest Android maker in recent years, with a flashy transparent design language that tugs the heartstrings of retro-tech enthusiasts. It's also one of the few (if not only) new entrants in the smartphone market, joining the fray at a time when others have pulled out.

Fortunately, Nothing Phone 2, the company's successor to Nothing Phone 1, brings the sizzle and the substance to back it up. Powering the phone is an improved Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor with up to 12GB of RAM, which -- from ZDNET's testing -- proved to be more than enough for Nothing's minimalist and digital wellbeing-focused software experience. One Reddit user pointed out that the Nothing Phone 2 "runs smoothly and the battery is extraordinary."

The key selling point of the Phone 2 is what Nothing calls Glyph Interface, an assembly of LED strips on the back of the phone that blinks in unique patterns depending on incoming alerts and notifications. It's a clever way to leverage the transparent back panel and encourages users to stare at their phone screens less. Bold design philosophy, I know.

For $549, the Nothing Phone 2 undercuts most flagships on the market today, like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and OnePlus 12, while offering a reliably charming smartphone package that most design freaks and fashionistas will adore.

The Pixel 8 Pro is no longer the highest-tier flagship that Google offers -- that would be the $1,799 Pixel Fold -- but the 8 Pro remains the company's most refined and tested device to date. The 6.7-inch model is now fitted with a more uniform and curved glass-to-aluminum body and sees an updated Google Tensor G3 chip at the helm.

With the new processor, the Pixel 8 Pro gets a boost in efficiency, performance, and a series of AI features such as context-aware Call Screening responses, the ability to summarize and translate bodies of text, and even support for simultaneous voice-to-text input with multiple languages. Those features, at the time of writing, are available exclusively for the 8 Pro thanks to the upgraded Tensor G3 process (from the Pixel 7 Pro's G2).

It's this focus on "accessible creativity" that gives the Google phone a wonder that's absent from almost every other smartphone brand. To the Pixel 8 Pro's credit, the triple camera array, paired with the company's computational chops, is what puts it ahead of the competition. From the natural-colored photo and video capture to the HDR-enhanced low-light capturing, the flagship Pixel's camera system is more capable than ever before. A recent Best Buy customer noted in their review that "the camera suite might be so good, I actually get into photography and videography as a hobby."

And, if you're not satisfied with your shots, more AI features like Best Take, Audio Magic Eraser, and Magic Editor allow you to tweak the faces of subjects, remove distracting background noises from videos, and even change the lighting and ambiance of a photo in post.

OnePlus has had its ups and downs over the past four years, pivoting from value-driven smartphones to ultra-premium and then back to square one with last year's OnePlus 11. This year, it's doubling down on its value-driven flagships.

Putting the value aspect aside, the OnePlus 12 shines with its charging speed, something you'll quickly take for granted once you realize that phones don't have to be sitting by an outlet for two hours every day. The 80W wired charging on the phone can power it from 0 to 50% within 10 minutes. A full charge takes less than 30 minutes. "80W fast charging is life-changing," a satisfied Best Buy customer adds.

Just as impressive is the OnePlus 12's new 50W wireless charging, a feature many users have been asking for and was sorely missed on last year's model. While the OnePlus 12 is not as "all in" on generative AI features, it offers a well-rounded, high-performing Android experience for a couple of hundred dollars less than other flagship phones. 152ee80cbc

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